In esports, trailblazers and pioneers come into the competitive scene early and set the standard for future rivals. When a game is new and its competitive scene is in its infancy, many of the early techniques will fade away as the general skill of the playerbase and understanding grow. However, some players are so ahead of the meta that their original ideas stand the test of time.

We’ll take a look at 10 esports legends whose games would be very different without their influence. These personalities revolutionized the competitive landscape and changed esports history.

We aren’t looking at achievements and accolades here (although that certainly comes with the territory). We’re looking at influential players whose ideas are still used in the current esports metagame. Esports athletes whose unique playstyle impacted pros and casuals alike. Players who made an impact out of their bubble and drew more fans to their game. Many conversations and debates can come from that criteria, but these famous esports players in history deserve their recognition first.

Former Counter-Strike pro Aceu is one of the first esports influencers to showcase the fluid movement in Apex Legends. Aceu solo vs trio pubstomping videos proved that a single skilled player can leverage movement to take down whole squads in style. He perfected all the essential tech used by competitive players and chased high-kill games with his famous bald Wraith. 

The grandfather of movement was an informative content creator who created seminal guides on the topic that are still used today. Whenever you see players camp the zip line buildings in Worlds Edge and parkour at max speed, you can thank Aceu for that.

Diamondprox and the Moscow Five reinvented the whole League of Legends metagame as we know it, centered around their jungler, Diamondprox. Moscow Five perfected the concept of priority, where their players would permanently shove the lane and look to make aggressive movements. Diamondprox challenged the meta with Shyvana, clearing camps at lightning speed, then invading the enemy jungler to drain their resources.

Diamondprox is widely credited as the pioneer for counter-jungling, and their aggressive strats were oppressive. He was also creative with surprising opponents with off-meta picks like jungle Karma and Dr. Mundo. League of Legends esports wouldn’t be the same today without their short, dominant streak.

Before Ninja became a household name or Bugha won millions, there was Myth. The quiet kid who saw Fortnite not as a shooter, but something similar to Chess. He was way ahead of the curve in building techniques: taking high ground, boxing out, and quick editing all without turbo build, as showcased in one of the first ever build fights.

At a time when most top players guarded their strategies, he streamed his thought process openly. Myth’s tutorials on buildings set the foundation for Fortnite’s competitive scene.

Though later overshadowed by flashier players, Myth’s influence is everywhere in modern Fortnite. Every time you see a player instantly build a fortress after taking a single shot, that’s Myth’s legacy. 

There’s no doubt that nAts is one of VALORANT’s smartest players. Jokingly referred to as “no access to site” by the community, nAts perfected the Sentinel role and masterfully anchored the objective he was defending. He was notorious for his sneaky lurking and would usually catch players off guard. 

Using his favored Agents Viper and Cypher, he’d instill a dreadful paranoia that other regions and players tried their best to emulate his playstyle. Where most players would peek into a crossfire, nAts would come from off angles. Where most players would favor the Vandal, nAts shows off spray control with the Phantom. He pioneered many utility setups on Viper on Bind and Icebox that are still used to this day.

JjoNak was plucked from Overwatch’s ranked ladder and straight into New York Excelsior’s (NYXL) starting lineup as their second support for the Overwatch League. From the beginning, it was clear that JjoNak thrived on the frontlines with his signature Zenyatta. JjoNak would play recklessly, flanking and taking off angles to get game-changing picks for his team. He would showcase how lethal Zenyatta’s Orb Volley was that Blizzard nerfed it in response. 

JjoNak’s aggressive play was exciting and highly effective, rivaling DPS players’ stats in eliminations, damage, and kill participation. His aggressive positioning and playmaking mindset inspired support players everywhere to step up their impact. JjoNak was admired and feared by other top-tier players; he was rightfully granted the first MVP and a custom skin for his stellar performance.

Stewie2K burst onto the scene as Counter-Strike‘s ultimate disruptor, bringing a fearless, chaotic, and disrespectful playstyle. Stewie2k started a pug star who annoyed pro players with unpredictable movements, especially with how he plays around smoke grenades. Most players would treat a smoke as an impassable wall, but Stewie2k would always push through, with or without a pop flash, earning him the “smoke criminal” nickname.

Stewie2k brought this energy to the scene, which North American fans loved. He was a trash-talking, highly energetic player who taunted teams with knife eliminations and verbal insults in LAN events. Stewie doesn’t play for stats, but was highly effective on entry fragging, carelessly throwing his own life to break open the site. No one can deny that he helped Cloud9 win the 2018 Boston Major. Stewie2k’s journey from pug star to Major winner paved the way for teams to take their chances on dominant online players.

Dendi is an energetic personality who helped bridge the transition to Dota 2. The Ukrainian mid player was pivotal to NAVI’s win during the first International. Dendi was the face of Dota 2’s esports and had this undeniable star power whenever he played. Crowds would cheer whenever he picked his iconic Pudge and landed impossible hooks. Dendi’s fountain hook shenanigans are still remembered to this day.

More than a decade later, Pudge is still the most popular hero, and most players default to Dendi’s Blink Dagger and Force Staff build. Dendi’s influence extended beyond his mechanical skill. His joyful, showman-like approach to competition made Dota 2 more accessible and entertaining for casual viewers, helping grow the esports’ early fanbase.

Nadeshot was instrumental in gathering interest for Call of Duty esports. Encouraged by OpTic CEO H3CZ to focus on content creation, he amassed a following on YouTube through high-level Call of Duty plays, yet there was this transparency and honesty in his personal blogs. He offered fans an authentic glimpse into the life of a professional gamer, demystifying a career that wasn’t fully accepted by the public at the time.

Fans tuned in to support Nadeshot and OpTic: their victories, rivalries, and near-misses. As a player, Nadeshot performed decently but was known for his objective play, peaking in Search and Destroy in Call of Duty: Ghosts. Nadeshot was an influential figure during Call of Duty’s formative years, and he’s brought that experience to co-founding 100 Thieves.

OGRE2 is widely regarded as the greatest Halo esports player of all time, and no one comes close to his influence. OGRE2 and his identical twin, OGRE1, were a dominant force in competitive Halo. These two were successful as a duo and so in sync that the community joked about them communicating via ESP. The OGRE twins went on to form the backbone of Final Boss, a team name that rightfully fit them.

After his twin retired, OGRE2 kept competing and winning. The numbers and stats he put out during his era were legendary: 40 major event wins and 5 MLG National Championships over 14 years and multiple Halo games. He was an influential figure for future esports competitors and many players aspire to be even a quarter as successful as him.

​Daigo Umehara, revered as “The Beast,” is one of the most influential figures in esports history, particularly within the fighting game community. He’s most known for his legendary performance at Evo 2004 against Justin Wong, known as Evo Moment #37. Facing Justin Wong in the Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike semifinals, Daigo, with only a pixel of health remaining, executed a flawless parry of 15 consecutive hits from Wong’s Super Art

This moment became a viral sensation and is often hailed as the most iconic moment in competitive gaming history. Justin Wong himself acknowledged that the moment may have helped save the FGC. Many players cite Evo Moment #37 as their introduction to esports and the fighting game community, breathing new life into a declining genre. This showed the spectacle of esports and the unbeatable energy of its fans to the whole world.

From meta pioneers to explosive personalities who got crowds to fill up esports events, these leaders in esports made an undeniable impact on their game. Their innovations reshaped the meta, their charisma drew fans, and their legacies continue to inspire new generations of players. As esports continues to grow, the blueprint set by these esports legends is seen in every play, every match, every moment in all levels of play.

Twitch and Kick streamer Felix ‘xQc’ Lenyel revealed that he will be working with NetEase Games to host the xQc Invitationals for Marvel Rivals.

Scheduled for May 9th, the upcoming tournament will have a $250,000 (~£194,000) prize pot, with major sums contributed by the controversial Canadian content creator himself.

The announcement was made by xQc live on stream before being posted on YouTube, where he shared that top streaming personalities will compete for the lions’ share of the cash prize.

He said: “Chat, I’ve been working on this for months now, and finally I can kind of, like, announce it. May 9th, put it on your schedule: xQc Marvel [Rivals] Invitational, $250k prize pool.

“I’m putting a lot of my own money in the prize pool. Actually real and true, it’s finally happening, I’ll be able to host my own tournament for the first time in forever. So that’s happening, 100% locked in.”

Specific details of the tournament, including formats and participating teams, have yet to be disclosed. However, xQc shared that he will be ‘running the shows this time,’ but may also play a more active role in the tournament.

“I hope I can make it a good, balanced and cool event,” he said. “And I might play it and cast it.

“I might do a kind of dual production thing where, like, I’m trying to win as well. And if I’m out or not, I can cast the other games as well. So other people [could] like take over if I can’t like be casting or whatever.”

We also know, based on the flyer shared, that the tournament will be livestreamed on xQc’s Twitch channel. It is currently unknown if the tournament will also be broadcast on Marvel Rivals’ channels.

It’s not the first time we have seen the smash-hit hero shooter host tournaments with content creators, as Disguised Toast also held multiple Creator Cups earlier this year, albeit with a much smaller prize pool.

Marvel Rivals Season 2: Hellfire Gala will be packed full of tournaments. With the upcoming Marvel Rivals Championships, monthly PlayStation Cup and more, the game’s competitive scene has only continued to grow since the game launched.

The Halo Champions Series Arlington 2025 tournament on April 18th saw strong viewership numbers throughout its livestreams.

The views accumulated in the tournament have been a much-needed boost for the Halo esports scene in an otherwise slower year.

The HCS Major began with an eight-hour-long livestream that accumulated over 100,000 views and would reach a peak of over 160,000 views on Championship Sunday. Throughout day one and two, each five to eight-hour-long livestream attracted between 20,000 to 50,000 viewers, and attracted a total view count of 506,000 on YouTube alone.

Optic Gaming came out on top this year in a historic win against Shopify Rebellion, winning the lion’s share of a $250,000 prize pool. Shopify Rebellion claimed second place, FaZe Clan came third and SpaceStation Gaming managed to place fourth. All four teams will qualify for the Dallas Open Pool Play at DreamHack later this year.

According to Esports Charts, Halo has been on a steady decline since its peak in 2022. The number of tournaments has sharply decreased, from 59 in 2022 to just six in 2024. Peak viewership has also declined since 2021, dropping from 260,000 to nearly 110,000 in 2024.

2025 alone has been rather slow up until HCS, with only one tournament being held beforehand — Kaysan Showdown VI. It saw a peak viewership of 45,000 and a prize pool of $50,000. HCS, by comparison, has proven to be much more popular and has consistently brought in views for the past three years as the most popular Halo esports event.

In a post on X, the official Halo Esports account said: “Thank you to the players, fans, and all of our partners for making the HCS Arlington 25 Kickoff Major an incredible start to the 2025 HCS Season! Next stop: HCS Dallas 2025 Open at DreamHack.”

This year’s HCS Arlington Major has proven to be a jumpstart the Halo esports 2025 scene has desperately needed in an otherwise slower year. Many anticipate the upcoming Dallas Open, running from May 23rd-25th, to capitalise on this renewed interest in the esport.

To say that Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive game is an understatement. Players dedicate thousands of hours in the pursuit of taking their game to the next level. For the majority of CS2 players, that means queueing up in the Premier mode of CS2 matchmaking and fighting tooth and nail to get the best possible ranking.

However, Premier is not immediately available upon launching the free-to-play version of the game, leaving many players unsure how to access the game mode. 

In this guide, we’ll tell you how to gain access to Premier and what to expect from the Premier mode when you play.

CS2 Premier mode is the ‘premier’ competitive form of Counter-Strike available in CS2. The mode’s main benefit is that it is the closest experience to pro-play available in Valve’s base game. 

It’s a 5v5 bomb defusal mode that utilizes the competitive map pool used in the professional Counter-Strike circuit. The mode also echoes the competitive scene in being MR12 (Max Round 12 in a half, 13 rounds to win) and featuring overtime if the teams are inseparable.

The mode features an Elo-ranking system, where players are assigned a ‘CS Rating’ after ten wins in Premier mode, denoting their skill level. Once you have completed your placement matches, you will be free to compete against players of similar rank to improve your rating.

Counter-Strike 2 includes several game modes by default – Premier, Competitive, Casual, Wingman, Arms Race, and Deathmatch. But while other game modes are included in the free version of the game, players will have to purchase ‘Prime’ to access Counter-Strike’s Premier mode. 

Cost: $14.99 on Steam

As well as unlocking Premier, Prime gives players access to a character rank, weekly drops where they get to choose two of four items to be added to their inventory, typically choosing between a case, two weapon skins, or an in-game spray. Drops unlock on Wednesday and can be earned when players reach their next profile level.

Additionally, Prime status means players will queue against other Prime member players, regarded as more trustworthy by the community due to the investment in the account.

While Competitive only requires new players to play a small amount of Deathmatch, Arms Race, or Casual to play, Premier requires the player to reach character level 10 in order to participate. 

Players can earn XP upon completion of any matchmaking mode game. However, reaching level 10 can take time, especially for new players, so it’s recommended to focus on modes that grant consistent XP, like Deathmatch or Casual. Additionally, using XP boosts, such as the weekly bonus, can significantly speed up the leveling process.

Reaching character level 10 to unlock Premier in CS2 doesn’t correspond to a specific number of games, as XP is dependent on the mode and how well you perform in each mode. 

If you want ot unlock Premier as quickly as possible from a fresh account, we recommend playing Deathmatch until you unlock Competitive, then playing Competitive until level 10. This will both unlock Premier quickly and familiarize you with the maps and game mode you will be playing in Premier.

If you cannot access Premier after purchasing Prime and reaching Level 10, first double-check that you have reached the required level and you are connected to the internet. 

If you have checked that, confirm that your Prime status is activated. This will be visible in the game, and you will be able to see your rank. 

If Prime is not activated, your transaction may have failed. You can check this at the account purchase history, where you can also cancel the failed transaction if necessary, allowing you to repurchase Prime without being charged twice.

If Premier mode is still greyed out after you have confirmed the above steps, you can check that Valve CS2 servers are active. If all else fails, you may need to contact Steam’s customer service for support.

Once you’re in, it’s time to learn how to play Premier CS2 and how it differs from the competitive mode. 

Premier and Competitive matchmaking are similar, each offering 5v5 MR12 ranked matches with the same economy, and team damage enabled. But players should be aware of the key differences between the two modes. 

Firstly, Competitive matches end in a draw at 12-12, whereas Premier allows for Overtime. During Overtime, the first team to reach 16 rounds will be the winner, but if the score reaches 15-15, the match will simply end in a draw.

Another notable difference between the two modes is that Competitive includes inactive maps like Overpass or Vertigo, as well as hostage maps like Italy or Office. 

Premier only utilizes the seven bomb defusal maps included in the ‘Active Duty’ map pool, currently Ancient, Anubis, Dust2, Inferno, Mirage, Nuke, and Train.

To select which of these maps is played in a match, Premier uses a veto system where the two teams vote as individuals to select the map on which the game will be played.

The process goes as follows:

Teammates can discuss the maps they wish to ban in the Team Chat on the veto screen.

Lastly, it is important to note that your CS2 Premier rank is based on in-game seasons – currently Season Two. While Premier’s first season lasted from September 2023 to January 2025, Valve has communicated that Season Two will come to an end after the conclusion of the Austin Major, ending on June 22. 

Players who win at least 25 matches in the season will be given a special medal that can be displayed in-game, so make sure to get your wins in before that date, so you don’t miss out.

Before queuing up in Premier, players should remember that Premier is the premium competitive gateway for the majority of Counter-Strike players. As such, they expect their teammates to communicate and work together throughout the match. 

Counter-Strike’s most vital currency is information. Quickly passing along the knowledge that your enemies are playing certain positions can be the difference between winning a round cleanly or losing it messily, so be a good teammate and speak up.

Additionally, players should try to get familiar with all the maps in the active pool before queuing. Unless you are playing with friends, there is no guarantee what map the veto will result in, so make sure to learn the main spots on every map and what spots on each map are called by the community to give you the strategic edge in Premier.

Once you have won 10 Premier games, you will receive your placement ‘CS Rating,’ an Elo-type measurement. In comparison to Competitive’s ‘Silver’, ‘Gold Nova,’ or Global Elite’, CS Rating numbers may seem very abstract, but Counter-Strike’s Premier dashboard can help you understand what your rank means. 

The screen displays your win percentage and what percentile of CS players you are in, labeled as ‘%Rank.’ For example, if your %Rank is 20%, you are in the top 20% of Premier players – roughly corresponding to 15,000 Elo.

If you want to know what Competitive rank equates to what Premier Elo, you can find that information on ESI’s CS2 rank guide.

If you feel your placement CS Rating doesn’t reflect your skill level, you’re not alone, but don’t worry. You can grind your way up by winning.

You can gain a lot of Rating by winning matches, gaining more by defeating tough opposition with players of superior ratings. Likewise, you lose Elo from your losses, facing harsher punishment when losing to less-skilled players. 

Regardless of the result, Elo will be distributed after the match based on the result and the relative strength of each team, meaning you can lose or gain small amounts of Elo for a draw.

So that’s all you need to know before you and your friends enter the world of CS2 Premier. It’s meant for very competitive players, so try your best and be a good teammate, but as always, remember to have some fun. 

After all, it’s just a game.

Crazy Raccoon has won the Overwatch Champions Clash 2025 following an intense 4-2 Grand Final against Team Falcons.

With this victory, the Japanese roster has qualified directly for the second international competition in the Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS), the Midseason Championship in July, held at the Esports World Cup.

Champions Clash was the first international tournament in this year’s OWCS. The competition took place in Hangzhou, China, from April 18th-20th, featuring eight teams from the regional Stage 1 events.

Crazy Raccoon and Team Falcons were considered favourites to win the event, with both teams dominating in their respective region while competing for international trophies. However, unlike the Falcons, Crazy Raccoon did not make it undefeated through Champions Clash’s double-elimination bracket before reaching the Grand Final.

After an initial victory against Spacestation (2-0), the Raccoons were kicked into the lower bracket by American squad NTMR in a 1-3 series. Crazy Raccoon then had to eliminate Virtus.pro (3-1) and Once Again to take revenge against NTMR in a dominating 3-0 Lower Bracket Final.

Similarly to its bracket run, Crazy Raccoon first struggled in the final series against Team Falcons. The Japanese roster lost the first map, Oasis, 1-2 to take Suravasa then 1-3. While Falcons quickly struck back on Push map Runasapi (85.17 m- 133.25 m), the Racoons went undefeated for the remainder of the series, winning on Route 66 (3-2), Esperança (125.3 m- 68.96 m) and Circuit Royal (4-3).

Champions Clash marks another chapter in the rivalry between Crazy Raccoon and Saudi Arabian Team Falcons. Since last year, the two squads have faced each other several times in the finals of Overwatch’s biggest stages. The Raccoons won the OWCS 2024 Major and the Esports World Cup, while the Falcons secured the biggest trophy of the year, the OWCS 2024 World Finals.

With the first global OWCS competition concluded, all teams will head back to their regional events for the upcoming Stage 2 in May.

OpTic Gaming has won the Halo Championship Series 2025: Arlington Major after defeating Shopify Rebellion in the Grand Final.

The North American esports team has now secured the lion’s share of the $250,000 (~£188,853) prize pool and immediately qualified for the HCS Dallas Open in May.

The first Major of this year’s Halo Championship Series (HCS) was held at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Texas, U.S., from April 28th-20th. Sixteen teams from across the globe competed in a 4-versus-4 format throughout a round robin Pool Play stage and a double-elimination Championship Bracket.

The event also included an open bracket, giving amateur teams an opportunity to face the top-ranking rosters in the Halo esports scene. OpTic Gaming entered the Arlington Major through the North American Qualifier alongside runner-up Shopify Rebellion, third place FaZe Clan and fourth place Spacestation Gaming.

During the Pool Play phase on April 18th, OpTic won three out of four matches, only losing to EMEA’s Team Nemesis. With the second-best score of Pool B behind Team Nemesis (3-0), OpTic advanced to the upper bracket of the Major’s second phase. However, the squad was quickly catapulted into the lower bracket by Shopify Rebellion in a 3-2 series.

From thereon, OpTic had to remain undefeated against TSM (3-0), Infamous (3-0), Team Nemesis (3-2) and Spacestation (3-0) to reach the Lower Bracket Final against FaZe Clan (3-1).

Continuing its winning streak, OpTic took revenge against Shopify in two successful best-of-seven (BO7) Grand Final matches. While the first series barely concluded in OpTic’s favour (4-3), the team displayed a dominant performance in the final match (4-0).

With the victory over Shopify, OpTic Gaming has broken its streak of runner-up placements at global HCS events, which began with the Halo Championship in 2023. Afterwards, the squad failed to secure first place at every 2024 Major and the Championship of the same year.

OpTic is now looking to continue its momentum at the Dallas Open from May 23rd-25th. Fellow NA teams Shopify Rebellion, FaZe Clan and Spacetation Gaming have also qualified to the event thanks to their Major Arlington placements.